Maslow’s Hierarchy of Wants identifies five levels of human needs that must be met for a person to be satisfied. It’s frequently used in the workplace to figure out how to encourage people better and ensure that their requirements are addressed. Understanding this hierarchy can help determine if a company’s needs are being addressed at work and how it might better satisfy the work team’s demands. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a classic psychological and motivational theory. Maslow’s theory of motivation is based on this hierarchy, which contains five categories of human needs. Each Maslows’ hierarchy level has its demands that allow an individual to feel fulfilled (Ghatak & Singh, 2019). The hierarchy is sometimes portrayed as a pyramid to symbolize the requirement to complete the lower levels before progressing to the next. A person cannot develop unless they are satisfied with the level below since they will lack the drive to do so.
A manager must grasp the wants and how they affect motivation while using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the workplace. Each need builds on the previous one, making a person feel more fulfilled, which promotes motivation and innovative thinking. According to the hierarchy, physiological requirements are the most basic human needs (Maslow et al., 2020). Employees must have access to essential services and opportunities while at work to feel that their fundamental needs are being satisfied. Members of the company require access to a bathroom, a source of drinking water, meal and snack breaks, and a pleasant working atmosphere. When it comes to the job, one of the worker’s physiological demands is a stable income to sustain and pay for necessities like housing, food, and utilities.
Another critical requirement that might influence workers’ overall happiness with their jobs is safety. One of their top objectives, for example, would be to offer a safe living environment for their family, which is why the company’s members work so hard to provide that demand. It’s also crucial to feel appreciated and prioritized in terms of physical safety at work (Guo et al., 2019). Workers should feel safe and secure in their resources and personal property. Providing ergonomic office furniture that appropriately supports and decreases the risk of injury and safeguarding the facility to prevent potentially hazardous persons from entering may help ensure a safe workplace. Another part of job safety is the sensation of being emotionally secure and supported. When employees are concerned about losing their jobs due to layoffs or budget cuts, it is more challenging to motivate them to advance to the next level in the hierarchy and perform at their best. Uncertain prospects could contribute to a drop in worker morale.
In the workplace, Maslow’s hierarchy’s love and belonging level are slightly different from other parts of the company’s members’ lives. They may not feel as interested at work or inspired to achieve if they don’t feel like they belong. It’s not always simple for people to create and maintain connections at work (Schulte, 2018). Employee engagement is higher at companies that hold social activities and provide more possibilities for relationship-building outside of the office than at companies that do not prioritize these parts of a work-life balance. It is simpler for them to feel inspired to work hard and accomplish success when they feel like they belong and fit in the workplace and team.
Esteem is the notion that one contributes to a greater good and that one’s efforts are appreciated. It is crucial to feel that employees are developing, progressing, and accomplishing outcomes on the job and that people around them are aware of their accomplishments (Schulte, 2018). They are more likely to succeed when they have faith in themselves and their talents and receive positive comments and support. Employee self-esteem influences their overall involvement. Even when an employee is struggling, providing frequent acknowledgment and gratitude for their work may positively impact their self-esteem. Employee esteem may deteriorate if feedback is solely given in an annual evaluation.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs concludes with self-actualization, which maximizes one’s potential at work. People want to believe that they are doing the best they can in their current job, motivating them to continue on their professional path and thrive. Self-actualized employees feel influential and trustworthy, promoting growth and engagement. Allowing employees to achieve is one of the keys to addressing this requirement. Supervisors should concentrate on their workers’ talents and abilities, assisting them in finding methods to improve their careers without pressuring them into positions that are not suitable for them. Employees should be pushed at work but not overwhelmed or overburdened to be self-actualized.
Employees may discover opportunities for improvement if managers apply Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to their teams. Many of these requirements may be met by an employer, but managers must know how workers’ needs affect their overall success in various jobs. For example, if employees are afraid of rejection, a profession in sales may make it more challenging to address their demands. Employees must be self-actualized to achieve the highest level of this motivating theory in the workplace, which means they must grasp their talents, abilities, and what they can handle. Individuals who have attained the top level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs make up a healthy and engaged workforce.
The capacity to recognize employees’ requirements and ensure that those needs are met favorably can aid a working team’s chances of success. An employee’s attitude may impact people around them in the workplace when they feel comfortable, and supported, have a feeling of belonging, and are self-actualized. Because engagement and motivation are typically team-based attitudes, a group of people who believe their needs are being addressed can help to build a more positive, engaging workplace culture. Employers with poor employee engagement have a greater turnover rate, low morale, and dissatisfied staff. A company may raise satisfaction while increasing engagement and motivation, which influences productivity, by investing in its employees’ overall happiness.
Herzberg’s theory is less practical and effective on this topic, but it is worth considering. Frederick Herzberg, widely regarded as a pioneer in motivation theory, interviewed a group of employees in the late 1950s to learn what made them happy and unhappy at work. He effectively offered the staff two sets of inquiries. When employees were pleased with their work, it was questioned what was it that made them feel that way. When they were particularly unhappy at work, it was investigated what caused these emotions. From these interviews, Herzberg developed his idea that job happiness has two dimensions: motivation and cleanliness.
According to Herzberg, cleanliness issues are unlikely to excite employees, but they may help minimize employee dissatisfaction if appropriately handled. In other words, if they are not present or if they are abused, they can only generate displeasure. Hygiene themes are exemplified through company regulations, supervision, compensation, interpersonal relationships, and the work environment. On the other hand, Motivators provide fulfillment by meeting people’s demands for purpose and personal development. Achievement, acknowledgment, the work itself, responsibility, and progress are some of the topics covered. According to Herzberg, after the hygiene issues are resolved, the motivators will increase job satisfaction and drive output.
Employees might become frustrated by an organization’s policies if they are confusing or excessive, or if not everyone is expected to obey them. Employees will never be motivated or satisfied by a company’s policies, but they may reduce unhappiness in this area by ensuring that policies are fair and apply equally to everybody. Also, make printed copies of the policies-and-procedures handbook readily available to all employees. If management does not have a written directory, create one with the help of the workforce. Consider revising their manual if they already have one (again, with staff input). Employees may also compare their company’s rules to those of similar businesses to determine whether specific regulations are overly tight or whether certain fines are excessive.
In the context of the situation discussed in the case given in the assignment, Maslow’s theory may be a real solution to the problem. The above-described advantages of implementing Maslow’s theory in managing the work team are practical. As you can see in this case, a motivational company for employees was needed only to promote one of them. The needs and perceptions of other team members were not taken into account, which caused bewilderment, anger, and envy toward the former colleague. It is also essential that difficulties arise during an employee’s promotion and subsequent transfer to a new position. First of all, the hierarchy of the team’s work was not taken into account, which led to the loss of an essential employee by the office staff. However, a replacement was not made for a position one project, which disrupted the office’s performance. It is also important that more diligent and responsible employees work on many projects simultaneously but do not receive a promotion. All this demonstrates a negligent disregard for the principles described by Maslow and eventually destroys the team.
References
IGhatak, S., & Singh, S. (2019). Examining Maslow’s hierarchy need theory in the social media adoption. FIIB Business Review, 8(4), 292–302. Web.
Guo, J., Weng, D., Zhang, Z., Jiang, H., Liu, Y., Wang, Y., & Duh, H. B. L. (2019). Mixed reality office system based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Towards the Long-Term immersion in virtual environments. 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR). Web.
Maslow, A. H., Hudson, T. W., & Recordings, H. (2020). A theory of human motivation. Historical Recordings.
Schulte, M. (2018). Adult learning degree and career pathways: Allusions to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 66(1), 62–64. Web.